Connecting to Create Engagement in a Digital World

I recently had the opportunity to share some ideas on Connecting to Create Engagement in a Digital World at a Center for Operational Excellence event. 320 people attended online and the average time in the session was 52 minutes – people stayed for the entire 45-minute presentation. I think is a testament to the importance of coaching in today’s hybrid world and the challenges of engaging people authentically and effectively. There were some great questions asked after the session, many of which we did not have time to answer. In this series of blog posts, we’ll address those questions and ask you to share your thoughts as well.

Question: For coachees that are generally reserved/guarded, what are some techniques to promote psychological safety?

If you are coaching someone who seems to be uncomfortable with any aspect of the coaching process, address the issue head on. Here a few things to consider:

1. Ask the coachee what they want to gain from coaching to ensure alignment. If they are unclear of specific outcomes, help them articulate the general characteristics of success for their current challenge.
2. Let the coachee know you sense some reservation in them and would like to talk about it. If they agree, ask “Do you have any reservations discussing XYZ?” “Can you share what you’re thinking?”
3. Remind the person you are coaching that the coaching conversations are 100% confidential and will not be shared with anyone else (assuming this is true). If you are reporting to the person’s sponsor, make it clear what is being shared and what is private.
4. To create psychological safety - the belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes – try these countermeasures:
   • Connect by being present and fully engaged during your coaching sessions
   • Show respect through eye contact, appreciative listening, and calm focus
   • Indicate your understanding by playing back what you hear. For example, “What I heard you say is ‘It is hard to know what to work on when I have conflicting priorities and no access to the project sponsor,’ is that right?”

Feel free to reply to this post and share your experiences with psychological safety and working with someone who is reticent about coaching.

Mike Orzen has been coaching more than 30 years, supporting people and teams to apply  conscious awareness, lean management, and enterprise excellence practices in complex work environments. His coaching approach is based on the mindful awareness, authentic connection, and appreciation of the stories we share.